Page 19 of The Secret Christmas Bookshop
‘She’s formidable, too,’ May added. ‘You know who wears the trousers between her and Ermin.’
Sophie laughed. ‘She can seem strict, but mostly she’s a softie. Did you hear about Jazz?’ She assumed Harry would have told her when he got home last night.
‘The poor girl who was sleeping in The Book Ends?’
‘Fiona and I thought she was the ghost – except she’d broken the lock to get in.’
‘It’s awful how some people end up like that.’ May’s cautious tone told Sophie that, even though they had only talked occasionally, she knew about her background. Sophie had never particularly hidden the fact that she had grown up in foster care, and she wasn’t surprised it had made its way around the village. ‘But Fiona’s taken her in?’
‘She did last night,’ Sophie said. ‘I don’t know what the plan is now, whether Jazz will want to move on, or stay here for a while. I don’t suppose it’s brimming with job opportunities, if that’s what she’s after, but some places might need seasonal staff.’
‘Maybe Mary and Winnie could do with some help,’ May suggested. ‘I’m sure, if that was what she wanted to do, then Fiona could put in a good word.’ She grinned. ‘Was she behind your decision to volunteer for the festival?’
Sophie groaned. ‘No. That was all my own stupidity.’
‘Stupidity?’
‘I didn’t …’ She stopped. Did she want to tell May about the book? It had been an anonymous gift, and Sophie had decided she needed to be cautious if she wanted to unearth the culprit. After all, they must have stayed hidden for areason. ‘I wanted to contribute something,’ she settled on. ‘I thought there would be a team of us, but instead …’
‘Instead it’s just you and Harry,’ May finished. Her eyes were twinkling.
‘You think that’s amusing?’ Sophie wondered if May had been teasing him about his predicament.
‘You’re not looking forward to it?’ May parried.
Sophie was glad when the young man brought their lattes and cakes over on a silver tray. Her chocolate eclair was huge, with cream bursting out between the chocolate-covered layers, and May’s doughnut – which Sophie had thought might be a conservative choice – had sticky pink jam oozing out of it, and sherbet hearts stuck on its pale pink icing.
‘Wow,’ she murmured, the conversation momentarily forgotten while they tucked into their cakes, exchanging wide-eyed looks of delight.
‘Great, huh?’ May said.
‘Sogood.’ Sophie felt a pang of regret that she’d waited this long to try one.
‘So. You and Harry,’ May prompted. ‘You don’t seem thrilled about working with him.’
Sophie took a few beats to reply. She didn’t want to be rude about May’s boyfriend, even though she was obviously under no illusions about how hostile he could seem – if he was to be believed, it was May who’d given him the ‘Dark Demon Lord of Mistingham’ title. ‘We don’t know each other very well,’ she said cautiously. ‘And it isn’t going to be easy, planning an entire street festival between us.’
‘I wish he’d relax about the oak tree,’ May said with an eye-roll. ‘I get that he’s protective of his family’s land, butthat tree has been there for hundreds of years and hasn’t shown any signs of falling down.’
‘It used to be the focal point of the festival?’
‘Ofallevents in the village,’ May confirmed. ‘But by saying the oak is out of bounds, he’s effectively making the entire green a no-go area, which is ridiculous. I’ve given up trying to make him listen to me, though.’ She took a large bite of her doughnut.
‘Sometimes you need a fresh voice,’ Sophie said with a shrug.
‘Exactly! I think there are a whole lot of people holding out hope that you’ll be able to talk him round.’
Sophie’s eclair was momentarily forgotten. ‘I thought I was planning the festival with him.’
‘You are. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Ermin isalsohoping you’ll get Harry to back down, so it can go back to its original location.’
‘But why me?’ Sophie tried to keep the panic out of her voice.‘It would make much more sense for you to talk him round.’
‘I told you,’ May said with a laugh, ‘he stopped listening to me ages ago.’
‘He didn’t seem that approachable after the meeting.’ But even as she said it, she felt a stab of guilt, because he might still have been a little bit chilly, but he’d seemed genuinely concerned about her wrist, andhe’dremindedherthey needed to get together to start work on the festival.
‘He was brooding,’ May said. ‘Which, to be fair, is one of his favourite states. But he’s really lovely when he lets his guard down.’
